In Time
by saynventeen
Summary: " You really have no clue who I am ? " His cerculean dolled eyes shot at her, full of demand and query. " You think the confused look and blank stare would answered that for you " or in which Sarah found a kid following her home, telling him she's her son.
1. Chapter 1

" Hello ? "

His small voiced echoed throughout the vast strong walls of the uncertain eerie castle he now stood upon, his sound tinged with worry and full of doubt.

" Hello? " He tried again prolonging the last two letters in a yodel , when no answer came after his fourth call, with much force he mustered in his little body he tried to walk little by little carefully feeling his every step. His cerulean eyes scrutinize with concern the dark fog that blurred his vision. He swayed his feet a bit when he felt he stepped on a large rock that almost made him lose his footing. His brows followed his eyes as it squinted trying to figure out the appearing dark abstract from afar.

" Elise, are you there ? " He called out again.

Tik tok

A sound of a clock startled him to a halt, his small feet retreated three steps back. His hand automatically lands on his chest, the feel horses galloping inside his heart. He steadied himself, breathing in and out just like how his mother taught him whenever he felt panic arising. ' that's it sweetie, inhale and exhale '

He progress onward. Looking sideways, he felt the fog that blurred his vision slowly depreciating from the atmosphere and sipped into the dark corners of the uneven rocks that held the castle together. Somehow, he could finally outline the dark mansion and his dwelling.

Tik tok

" Elise, tell me where you are or mom will kill me! " The boy stresses.

Tik tok

He settles himself when his sister didn't even squeal in reply. He breathed in and out, usually when his sister knows he's within feet from her, she would always generate babble for attention. Agitated, he messes his brown tresses sending it to wide angles.

Tik tok

A slight spark brought his focus up, his eyes met a light that formed from afar. His feet lifted in urgency when a sudden giggle resounded from the forming light.

Tik tok

Getting close, He formed from vision that the objects he made out earlier where large screws and levers moving in a very distinct motion. A great multitude of metal adorned the stoned castle. Looking up he could make out a large wheel being pulled up and down by a driving weight, making him feel suddenly small and cautious of falling debris. The contraptions made of steel releases out a cloud of steam that smelled of burning metal. The boy shielded his nose in distaste. Like a struck of genius, Suddenly he realize that the machines were some kind of a moving clock, reminding him of the grand grandfather clock his uncle once tried to reassemble. Another batch of small clocks welcomed him in the center, a continuous sound of tik tok came out from every pointed hand that was plastered from the stoned wall and ground. Following the paths that lead to the inner most part of the castle, he turned twice when he encountered a dead end in a form of a large screw. The boy retraced his trail when he heard another rounds of giggle and more prominent this time. Fastening his phase, he stopped in surprised when a sudden light spark formed upfront blinding him for a second. Luckily he lifted his arms to shield himself.

Opening his tight eyes when he felt it was safe to, he saw his little sister perched up in an enormous metal bar, her hazel eyes shined in amusement when she saw his big brother stand in bewilderment by her state of being, another round of amused giggles echoed through the dark façade of the castle, her small hands colliding with each other clapping. A feel of relief washes over him for a moment then dread came right after.

Seeing it now clearly, his eyes grow times in size as the realization hit, the metal bar where his sister sat was the hour hand and the other that was turning every second was the minute hand of an enormous ground clock. It was the sacred thirteen hour clock that holds their dimension together. Looking down towards his booted feet the dark marking that adorned the castle floor now shifted and formed into paths and continuous giant roman numbers appeared side by side signalling every hour of a clock. He was standing in six.

In all his short years, he never thought that a life sentenced to being grounded for eternity is possible, but now he is already contemplating his life of solitude, it may or may not be that bad, he inwardly shrugged. If his parents found out that he let his sister teleport them to the infinity castle, he could kiss his life good bye.

" Elise, Don't move I'll get you down " Shaking his nerves, James starts to carefully strategize his phase. Slowly he moved waiting for the minute clock to come his way, another minute the hand would struck near him. Timing his leap, he almost misstep his left footing costing him to get unbalanced, luckily his sword training gave him a good sense of equilibrium. Finding his footing he struts towards his sister. Carefully he made a walk towards the middle step by step, his arms stretched on both side controlling his body whenever the short hand moved every second. Finding that he was three feet away from his sister, James reached out his hand to grab a section of the pink gown the infant wore. He almost got the end of the material, his fingers reaching hard forward, when the child popped out and into the middle screw that held the two hands together, a glowing crystal station in the middle. James grunts in disapproval.

" Really?! "

Patience thinning, he trust forward for another attempt but suddenly the hour hand clock shook and he landed crudely against the rusted metal, he felt the whole castle tremble as if the soil where it stood turned soft, drowning the castle. His wild eyes flew in different direction of worry searching for the infant. Dust and rock started to hit the ground as debris started to dance in the wild. James raised his hand against his mouth, careful not to inhale the swarming dust. He let his eyes squint long lashes kissing his cheeks before opening it fully; pushing himself up with much power he rushes towards the center.

" Elise! "

Without a choice, he opened up his magic; his gloved hand glowed for a moment, the barrier that once enveloped it now gone. Blood rushed towards his veins as he felt his powers jump start. Looking up he saw his sister happily clapping in the middle, the dust almost made her a blur. James tried to raise his hand and control the chaos as best as he could but it was already too late. The sound of the clocks stops then suddenly went into a whirlwind of forwards and rewind, a screeching sound almost made his ear pop. The hand where he stood broke into uneven pieces causing his body to collide with gravity. He was falling.

" Elise ! "

The last thing he saw was his little sister in the middle, a glowing crystal ball in her hand and a sound of cracking glass.


	2. Chapter 2

" Sarah, thank you for covering for me, really! I promise If you ever need a day off, I'm your girl " Madel zealously crowded her personal space, hugging her with fervor . An abrupt shush stilled the chirpy women, both heads turning to their supervisor who was looking Impatient by their ruckus.

"It's alright Mads, I have to work overtime anyway " Sarah gently pushes them apart, suppressing a building laugh in the process. " Now go before I drag you back in the meeting room "

" You're the best Sar, it's just that its Rey's parent teacher conference today and I couldn't pass it off the second time, you know how teachers could be persistent " Madel heavily shrugs, turning inside the meeting room she clutched her handbag that was on her chair onto her shoulder.

" Don't sweat, I understand. Sometimes Karen would ask me to go to Toby's school whenever he gets in trouble " Sarah turns towards her direction as she sent her a pearly white smile remembering the time she had to drag Toby inside the principal's office because he started a food fight inside the cafeteria. ' middle schoolers ' she rolled her eyes.

" You're really good with your little brother, Sar. I can already imagine you asking me for a Parent teacher excuse In the near future "The thirty-five year old woman said cheekily; wiggling her eyebrows in the process , Sarah returned her statement with a small smile. Gazing at her watch finally, Madel swore in Spanish and urgently giving Sarah another quick hug and a good bye before speeding off towards the elevator.

Looking at the disappearing back of her best friend, Sarah leaned against the office wall, the laugh she suppressed whenever Madel shock her with her unwanted but passionate Spanish swears, finally dying down. She suddenly felt chilly in response to the goose bumps forming against her skin, the ' air-condition temperature must have been change again' she thought.

" Miss Williams, you have a call in line three, should I hold? " Thessa, their front desk inclined in the end corner, her curly tresses falling against her pale complexion and in contrast with her dark rimmed glasses.

" Yes, I'll take the call. Thank you " She sent her a soft smile. Thessa in return nodded, finally moving away from her eyesight. Inhaling and exhaling, Sarah stretches herself while flexing her strained nerves. She popped her fingers in her movement. The meeting about the summer issue made her neck sore and caused an uncontrollable headache to form.

Strutting towards her small office, she eyes the creative floor and her troubled colleagues all in a rush to finish their deadline. Lines of mood board erected in lines from the floor's entrance towards the aisle, busy Creatives crowded the area. Stopping just before her door, her hands caressed the name plate outside; " Senior Editor : Sarah Williams ". She felt proud. At just aged twenty seven she had a title, she shouldn't worry about things that made her uneasy. Feeling like herself again, she entered her den.

Browsing her messy abode, she walked towards her desk and sits herself on her red leather chair. Stacks of Pose magazine lingered on her desk some were unread and some have bookmarks that poke from page to page. A round of rings took her out of her reverie. Grabbing a pen and paper from her desk drawer, she reached out for her office phone and answered

" Hello? "


	3. Chapter 3

" Hey Kid, wake up "

He feels as if he was floating. He can feel his hand, that's good. He tried to stir his feet and move his toes, it all responded, that's good too.

" Hey…. "

A hazy sound roused him from his slumber. He felt his senses finally forming but he still closed his eyes shut. James felt a soft linen envelope him, he sighed, relieved. ' it was all a dream ' he spoke in a slurred voice. He felt another round of poking touched his shoulder

" Hey kid , wake up. Are you okay? " The voice sounded disfigured but male

" Dad, I'm sleepy stop it " James wiggled annoyed. He felt a headache forming. He turned to his side, sniffing the soft smell of laundered sheets against his form. He smiled content.

" Hey, Kid… "

Another round of poking made him agitated, he forced himself up eyes snapping annoyed

" Dad – " His cerulean eyes stared as the light in the room gave color to the form standing beside him.

He continued " you're not my dad " He stated matter-of-factly. His clouded eyes now clear. He smelled something cynical around the room.

" I don't think I'am " The man chuckled.

James started to smudge his eye free from drowsiness, taking in the man that roused him up awake. The man wore white from head to toe, instead of a Victorian coat and breaches that glowed in glitter. He looked at him in bewilderment. His eye scans the room that now he occupies. The room was washed off of color and only wore white. He was in a bed that had metal bars on the side.

Looking back at the man, he felt danger kicking in. James flexes his gloved hand in defense but found his powers weak and almost thin. He started to tremble, cold sweat forming against his alabaster skin. Where was he?! Where was Elise?!

" Whoa, Kid. Take it easy! " The man rushed to towards his side, brushing his hand against his back while he handed the kid a bottle of water. " Kid, drink you're having a panic attack. Breathe "

A rush of tears pored against his cheeks; the boy started sobbing in a wild manner. Quickly the nurse grabbed his handkerchief inside his scrubs and handed it to the boy, shushing him in an earnest manner.

After moments of routinely breathing In and out, James finally looked at the dark man beside him

" Who are you and where am I ? " He voiced out strong but came out cracked.

" are you okay now? " The man asked looking worried at him, he nodded but still clutched the handkerchief to his face

" I'm Andre, I'm a nurse here in St. Marys. "

James ushered and waited for him to continue, too shocked to speak " Earlier, I found you on a nearby park when I was getting my breakfast. People were huddled together examining you. Then one lady said you were asleep on the ground for two hours now. I tried to search for your parents but no one came up. So yeah, I brought you here in the hospital where i work. It's much safer to sleep here " He gestured towards the whole room, a small smile plastered on his face

" you.. you mean I'm … I'm in the ab-above ground ? " The boy stuttered and looked like he saw a ghost passed by.  
Andre looks at him disturbed. 'above? What above ground ' he let his thoughts linger "- ohhhh " as if a light bulb suddenly appeared above his shaved head, he snapped his fingers triumphantly at the minor.

" Oh you mean, Upper east! Yes , yes you are "

" upper what? " James shut him a dumbfounded look but he looked passed it. He kneeled down beside James' bed " So Kid, can you tell me your name? You don't look like you're moreover than nine. Maybe if you can give me your name or your parents we can run through records and call your family? "

" Fam- Oh no! " Suddenly James stood on the hospital bed. His booted shoes planted against the white linen forming dark smudges underneath, the nurse stepped back at the sudden action of the boy. James' face painted of horror.

" Sir Andre, Tell me when you saw me on the park have you also seen my sister? She wore a pink gown and has blonde tresses " The boy inquired in horror, a feeling of dread tinge his voice as his eyes pleaded for him to say yes

Andre shakes his head a little baffled by the way the child spoke " Sorry kid, you're the only one there without any adult supervision- " " Hey! "

Without letting the nurse finished his sentence, he bolted down the bed and rushed towards the door. James' knew the man followed him but he couldn't think straight. The white walls washed against him making him feel nauseous but he strengthen and fasten his stride. He needed to know where Elise was, he couldn't just stand here while his sister is lost to this world.

" Kid! " He heard the black man called out

He turned and turned every corner trying to find a way out of the establishment. At the far end he finally saw a huge corridor crammed with civilian. Slowing his pace, he stopped right in front of the front desk. Some nurses and passer by looked at him mystified. A kid in an aristocratic vest and boots suddenly appeared out of nowhere and followed by a nurse walking in exhaustion behind him. Both were out of breath.

James scanned their audience, he sensed they were seemingly awed by his other worldly presence. His once settled brunette hair now flinging in wild angles. One lady gave him a second glance when she taught she saw glitter sparkling from his skin. All patrons basked in his beauty and after a moment returned to their venture dismissing the perturbed scene.

" Hey little boy are you alright? " A blonde nurse approached him, kneeling just in front of him and gave a questioning look towards her colleague who was still coming down from his hustle. The man is leaning heavily against the hospital hall.

Looking for an exit, James almost dashed when he saw the double doors from the far end open where an elder woman exited but was stopped when the lady nurse crowded his front, she was still inquiring his health, sensing that she was about to grasp his hand, he spiked the woman's legs in a quick reflex . The nurse groaned, bracing herself at the edge of the front desk.

When the lady cared for her hurting limbs, James quickly bounded towards the door. Stepping outside, he prayed she forgave him for his haste action.


End file.
